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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

SkyBar at Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur : The Best Rooftop Bar in town!

They say, traveling is always a good thing. No matter how short or long the journey may be, rest assured that you'll return home richer -- not necessarily monetarily but in knowledge. The experience and the people you'll encounter along the way will give you a better idea about the country's culture, way of life and its rich history too. I'm lucky that my parents made sure that Pan and I got to travel early on in our lives. School, after all, can only teach you so much, but learning a new language or being exposed to something that's unfamiliar to us will always bring about a lot of memories and new learnings. This is also why we're such travel fanatics till this day.

So, it has just been a few months since my last visit to Kuala Lumpur and there I was again last weekend. The trip was pretty much spontaneous as it just came about as I was chatting with my sister one afternoon. She commented that she hasn't been to the Petronas Towers and knowing her fascination in visiting the tallest towers in the world, I suggested that we go for a quick weekend visit. Over the next hours, tickets were booked, our hotel room reserved and a 3 day itinerary was drafted up.

Kuala Lumpur, to me, is a really busy city. It's not exactly the type where you can just unwind and chill like Boracay nor is it an ultra modern cosmopolitan like Hong Kong. At times, walking around still scares me as I have that uncertainty on how to get from point A to B in the quickest, safest way. So, often times, I'd say that I'm pretty much done with KL as I've seen what I've wanted to see anyway. Well, it seems like these lovely Twin Towers want me back more often as the recent weekend trip marked my 3rd return to Kuala Lumpur.

From the past trips, I've started to have some favorite spots that I make sure to visit every time. Recently, I discovered SkyBar at Traders Hotel. You see, friends have been telling me that no visit to KL is complete without enjoying the view and drinks at SkyBar. It is the one of the best, if not the best, rooftop bar in the city after all. My first visit there was with Paul and his cousins where we happily enjoyed the drinks and some bar munchies too. We got there close to midnight so the party scene was in full swing.

This time around, we decided to drop by SkyBar before dinner time. It was the perfect way to relax after spending the entire day out shopping. I tried the Espresso Martini (RM35) which I love! If you're a coffee fan like me then you should go for this! The coffee flavor was strong enough to mask the alcohol taste that I'm not very fond of. A delightful mix of Belvedere vodka, Kahlua, Frangelico, a shot of espresso and Maraschino Juice. Really really yummy!

Pan tried the Kiwitini (RM57) which I recommended for her to try as I had this on my previous visit. It's one of SkyBar's signature drinks and I feel it's a good ladies drink. It had a light, citrusy flavor which was made of Belvedere vodka, fresh kiwi, sugar and prosecco argeo.

Mommy wasn't in the mood for alcohol so she was happy with her glass of Serai Collins (RM20). A classic non-alcoholic mix of mint, lemongrass, lime and soda. Very refreshing!

We timed our visit to SkyBar perfectly to ensure that we were up there to see the sunset. It's really a beautiful sight to see the Petronas Towers up close.

To go with our drinks, we have my favorite Knock-Out Nachos (RM28) which was a huge platter of nachos drizzled with cheese and sprinkled with tomatoes and jalapenos. It's also served with a small amount of sour cream and guacamole which I hope they'd give us more. Really delicious and I love the slightly salty and really crunchy chips! Have it with your drink, have it alone, whatever you do just make sure you order it.

We also tried the SkyBar Bucket (RM68) which was a huge bucket for sharing! It's filled with spicy buffalo wings, crisscut fries, beef and chicken satay, crispy fried seafood and the right sauces and dips to go with all these! To be honest, I preferred the nachos over this as I'm really trying to stay away from deep-fried food but guess who enjoyed it?! It's my healthy-eater Mommy! What a big surprise right? She loved the spicy buffalo wings which she said had just the enough level of heat and the satay with the peanut sauce was just heavenly.

I just love the relaxed vibe in SkyBar and whether it was cocktail hour or party time, it's the place that I'll always visit whenever I'm in Kuala Lumpur. The view, the drinks and food, no wonder it has been on everyone's list as the city's best rooftop bar.

Check out SkyBar at the 33rd floor of Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur, KLCC, Malaysia. For reservations, call them at (60 3) 2332-9888. Unfortunately, reservations may only be done from 6PM to 9PM. Afterwards, they only accept walk-ins.